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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
informative
medium-paced
I loved Freakonomics as it introduced me to the field of behavioral economics and taught me to think about things in a new way. Many of the stories and analyses in SuperFreakonomics are as good as, or even better, than those in the first book but overall it was not nearly as enjoyable as the first because it didn't feel as new and groundbreaking.
One negative that I do need to point out is that the chapter on climate change did not age well at all. It's the only chapter where I also felt like the authors were making claims outside of their area of expertise instead of just interpreting the data and outcomes in a different way.
As long as you can keep an open mind, which I believe both books are encouraging and teaching you to do, I would still highly recommend SuperFreakonomics.
One negative that I do need to point out is that the chapter on climate change did not age well at all. It's the only chapter where I also felt like the authors were making claims outside of their area of expertise instead of just interpreting the data and outcomes in a different way.
As long as you can keep an open mind, which I believe both books are encouraging and teaching you to do, I would still highly recommend SuperFreakonomics.
Very interesting and a quick read, albeit somewhat scattered.
Once again, Levitt and Dubner bring their skewed view of incentives and human reaction to wide-ranging questions. There’s a lot in this book to enjoy, but here are a few of the highlights I took away:
The chapter on the economics of street prostitution in Chicago was pretty interesting, particularly the facts that: pimps actually help women make more money (by recruiting the higher-paying white customers), like Department store Santas, some women just work the holidays, and the biggest competitive force in the prostitution game is the fact that premarital sex is no longer so hard to find.
I also really liked the chapter on car seats, in which they found that children (over two) in car seats really got no extra protection than they would have if they’d just been belted into the adult seats in high speed crashes. In low speed crashes, they add a 25% benefit, but that’s still pretty paltry for such a widely used piece of equipment. Also, the current seat belt use rate is 80%, which means one in five people driving in a car isn’t wearing a seat belt. Jeez.
Being a bit of a technoptimist, I was pleased to read some of the positive solutions to human-caused global climate change they propose. Of course, the danger with these kinds of solutions is that we could cause more unexpected consequences. Levitt and Dubner argue that car-caused pollution is a ramification of the solution to another problem, of course: horse manure.
Lastly, the epilogue about monkeys learning to use money is a must-read. Next time you’re in the book store or library, just take five minutes and read it. It’s hilarious and remarkable.
Over all, I liked Superfreakonomics quite a bit, but it wasn’t as mind blowing as Freakonomics had been. I’ll have to wait and see, though. I remember finding bits of the first book floating around my head for months after I’d read it. I suspect the same will occur here.
The chapter on the economics of street prostitution in Chicago was pretty interesting, particularly the facts that: pimps actually help women make more money (by recruiting the higher-paying white customers), like Department store Santas, some women just work the holidays, and the biggest competitive force in the prostitution game is the fact that premarital sex is no longer so hard to find.
I also really liked the chapter on car seats, in which they found that children (over two) in car seats really got no extra protection than they would have if they’d just been belted into the adult seats in high speed crashes. In low speed crashes, they add a 25% benefit, but that’s still pretty paltry for such a widely used piece of equipment. Also, the current seat belt use rate is 80%, which means one in five people driving in a car isn’t wearing a seat belt. Jeez.
Being a bit of a technoptimist, I was pleased to read some of the positive solutions to human-caused global climate change they propose. Of course, the danger with these kinds of solutions is that we could cause more unexpected consequences. Levitt and Dubner argue that car-caused pollution is a ramification of the solution to another problem, of course: horse manure.
Lastly, the epilogue about monkeys learning to use money is a must-read. Next time you’re in the book store or library, just take five minutes and read it. It’s hilarious and remarkable.
Over all, I liked Superfreakonomics quite a bit, but it wasn’t as mind blowing as Freakonomics had been. I’ll have to wait and see, though. I remember finding bits of the first book floating around my head for months after I’d read it. I suspect the same will occur here.
Interesting quick read for people with a short attention span like me.
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Wasn't sure I would like this but it was a great book and really made you think. Well done and would encourage anyone that can read and lives in the US to read this book.
informative
informative
inspiring
reflective
I really enjoy the way Dubner and Levitt present information and ask questions. This one seemed to focus a lot on simple solutions to problems. It was quite interesting. I also enjoyed the monkey story in the epilogue wrapping it all up.
informative
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced